MISSION STATEMENT

WHO AM I

My name is Mark Ty-Wharton.

I'm a singer / songwriter, sound artist, guitarist & music technologist with in depth knowledge of recording studios, digital audio workstations & synthesisers.

I believe art & music are languages which predate the spoken word. I'm fascinated by creative processes, human psychology & spirituality. It seemed fitting to make Glastonbury my home & I moved here with my wife & son a decade ago.

I originally opened Sonus Magus as a sound art gallery in Abbey Mews Arcade to display my work. When the music shop in Benedict Street closed, Hywel Jenkins suggested selling instruments & strings to serve the local music scene.

Despite the difficulties of COVID in 2020, my daughter ending her own life in 2021 & my wife being given a diagnosis of inoperable cancer in 2022, the shop is still here.

WHAT ABOUT MY MISSION

  • My mission is to help local artists find the right instruments & create their best work.
  • To help people connect through music, combat addiction & deal with mental health issues.
  • To provide a magical off the wall experience for tourists, to help them find a meaningful souvenir & let them take some of Glastonbury's magical story home.

There really is no better way to impress your friends than a weird guitar, circuit bent sound effect, or that odd little synthesiser you bought during your stay here.

I provide a hub designed to help you explore, research & source all kinds of things that make sound. I'm here to inspire you, or your kid to navigate the joy of music. Sonus Magus is all about the fun of it. It isn't a serious guitar shop. While it encompasses Glastonbury Music Shop, it isn't really even a music shop. It's simply an experience.

I'm diagnosed with ADHD & high functioning autism. You should expect me to be rude & unconventional. I might shout at you through a loud hailer or unexpectedly leave to buy an ice cream. You can expect solutions you won't find anywhere else, but please don't ever call it 'thinking outside the box'.

I'm offering a lifestyle choice which is a far cry from shopping online. Sonus Magus trades in healthy creativity. My aim is to light up the passion in my customers, who keep coming back.

I understand sensory issues & offer private appointments to people with social differences. I provide a safe, comfortable experience whenever I can. The store is LGBTQ+ inclusive. Wheelchair access to ground floor is via a ramp.

I can generally work within your budget. While I hold a modest amount of stock, it's probably different to main stream shops. I select lines from over twenty suppliers or you can order items from trade catalogues. If you live outside  Glastonbury I can drop ship anywhere in the UK. I'm available for consultancy. Please use the contact form for enquiries.

My guitars are listed on the website. There's a guitar lounge upstairs where you can try guitars out by appointment. I provide & maintain community guitars for local musicians free of charge. If you only came in to 'play a song' or 'try something' you are welcome to use one of these instead.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MY WORK

I've worked as a musician, Pro Tools engineer, recording engineer, record producer, sound artist & vocalist.

Most notably:

  • Fronting Tabathas Nightmare & playing live at the Batcave at the height of the goth scene.
  • Sampling the Universe in Diskord Datkord in the mid eighties & releasing several records including a cover of X-Ray Spex Identity.
  • Producing Britain's first Acid House Band in the late eighties.
  • Programming beats for my brother Adamski in the early nineties.
  • Touring arenas & stadiums a tech for Duran Duran 
  • Recording several Duran Duran albums in studios across the World.
  • Creating TV-Mania with Nick Rhodes & Warren Cuccurullo.
  • Programming synthesisers & playing guitar on The Dandy Warhols (Welcome to the Monkey House) & Pro Tools production with Nick Rhodes.
  • Releasing my own music as Mark Tinley, E3, Polaris, aka TINLEY & Emerito, as well as collaborating with others artists on my record label.
  • Regularly contributing as a panelist on the Sonicstate Podcast. 

WHEN THE SHOP IS OPEN

Opening hours are limited due to family illness:

MON NEVER
TUES UNLIKELY
WEDS MAYBE
THUR PROBABLY
FRI 12:30 till 17:00
SAT 12:30 till 17:00
SUN BY APPOINTMENT

I can meet at the shop outside unusual hours & sell you accessories if you call to arrange a time.

WHY YOU ARE HERE

Sonus Magus is not supposed to be a shop where you can grab instruments off the wall & play them to show off to your friends or partner. Go somewhere else if you want to do that. Let's face it, there are Chinese three year olds who play better than you. So just don't.

If you come into the shop & you are arrogant, you expect to be allowed to play things or go upstairs, you lack any kind of humour or you don't understand mine, I'm not going to sell you anything.

HOW PRICES ARE SET

Prices are manufacturer's suggested or recommend retail prices set by my suppliers. If you mention Amazon, AliExpress, eBay or other online platforms, you'll be politely reminded vendors drop ship from China. At best you'll wait thirty days for it to arrive and it will almost certainly be fake. Mention it more than once and I won't sell you anything and you'll be asked to leave.

I honestly don't care if you take your business elsewhere. If you feel telling me "you're missing out on my business" or "it's no way to close a sale" is going to make me change this policy, it's not. I don't enjoy engaging with penny pinchers .. NO .. I really don't need to know how much money you have .. HONESTLY .. I can see right through you .. because you know you weren't going to buy anything anyway.

Got it?

So we're cool now right!

Good.